Chinese army official Shao dead at 69

BEIJING, July 3 (UPI) -- Shao Hua, who served as a major general in the People's Liberation Army of China, has died at the age of 69, state-run media said.

China's official Xinhua news agency said the body of Shao, the daughter-in-law of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, was cremated in Beijing Wednesday.

Among those who attended the memorial ceremony at the Babaoshan cemetery were Chinese President Hu Jintao and his predecessor Jiang Zemin.

Shao, who had been married to Mao's son Mao Anqing, had been a noted photographer and an active member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

She had also published more than 80 works during her lifetime and had served as a researcher for the Chinese Academy of Military Science, Xinhua said.

The news agency said Shao, who died May 24 of unspecified causes, is survived by her son, Mao Xinyu.